A longstanding problem with paint brushes that are used for industrial and domestic painting applications is that with time and repeated use, paint tends to build up within the bristles of the brush in the region where the bristles are held by the ferrule clamp that joins the bristles with the paint brush handle and base. The collected paint in this confined area is difficult to clean away. Usually, some residual paint is left in the bristles at the junction with the ferrule even after the used brush has been cleaned. The dried paint at this location collects and builds up over time with repeated use of the paint brush. This causes the bristles of the brush to spread and thereby reduces the efficiency of the brush. Also, the build up of dried paint tends to cause the bristles to wear and break at the location of the dried paint. This reduces the life of the paint brush.
Proper cleaning of a paint brush requires a considerable amount of solvent, if the person cleaning the brush is meticulous. If the paint has a water base, large amounts of water are wasted attempting to thoroughly clean the brush. If the paint is an oil base paint, then expensive petroleum paint solvent or thinner is required for cleaning. The use of a petroleum base solvent constitutes a waste of costly solvent and at the same time creates an environmental pollutant. Most commercial painters will tend to minimize costs by balancing the amount of the solvent used with the number of times the paint brush is used. It may be economic, for instance, to only expect a paint brush to be used a half-dozen times before it must be discarded, rather than incur the cost and waste a considerable amount of solvent attempting to meticulously clean the brush after each use, and prolong the life of the paint brush.
It would be advantageous if a paint brush could be designed which would minimize or eliminate the build up of paint in the location where the bristles are set or meet the paint brush handle. It would also be useful if a mechanism could be developed to reduce the amount of solvent which is required to clean a paint brush. It would also be advantageous if the bristles could be readily removed from the paint brush handle, for cleaning, and the clean bristles reinstalled in the handle for further painting. It would also be advantageous if the mechanism holding the bristles was resistant to breakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,606, issued Mar. 1, 1994, Blake A. Ledingham, discloses a unitary paint brush which comprises a paint brush body attached to a handle. The body defines a cavity adapted for receiving a group of bristles. A pair of hinged releasable flaps project over the cavity to abut the bristles when moved to a closed position. The bristles are released by moving the flaps into an open position. The hinged flaps are held in place on the bristle pack base by springs which can be rotated from a flap open position to a flap closed position, and vice versa. A problem with the springs is that they are a separate component, are cumbersome and raise manufacturing expense.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,733, May 31, 1994, Blake A. Ledingham, discloses a paint brush bristle clamp which can be applied over the ferrule and part of the bristles of a paint brush before use, and which deters paint from migrating from the free end of the bristles to the ferrule. The clamp is removed after the brush is used so that the bristles at the ferrule are exposed. The bristles are easy to clean after the clamp is removed.
International Patent Application No. PCT/CA95/00677, Blake A. Ledingham et al., published under number WO 96/17536 discloses: (a) a paint brush construction comprising a paint brush body and handle, the body having formed in one end thereof a cavity for receiving a group of bristles; and (b) a hinged bristle bearing member positioned proximate to the cavity, the member when moved about the hinge to a closed position applying a force against bristles held within the interior of the cavity, and the member when moved about the hinge to an open position enabling bristles held within the cavity to be removed. However, the hinged bristle bearing member can move only about a pivot point that is fixed. That pivot point is incapable of yielding when the bristle bearing member encounters an undue force, making the mechanism susceptible to breakage.
German Patent No. 86377 discloses a mechanism for holding and removing broom or brush bristles through a pivoting frontal flap d, which pivots about fixed pin f to engage the bristles at a protrusion h. However, this broom construction is also susceptible to breakage if undue force is applied to the rigid pivot f.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,918, Dec. 19, 1978, Robert Lee, discloses an adjustable sleeve for an artist's paint brush adapted to adjust the effective length of the bristles of the brush. The adjustable sleeve is tubular at its tip to contain the hair or bristles. The sleeve is split above the tip to provide a spring biased grip upon the brush ferrule. The adjustable sleeve is tapered in substantial conformity with the taper of the ferrule and it is longitudinally adjustable relative to the ferrule to vary the effective length of the hair or bristles. The sleeve is designed for use with an artist's brush, which has bristles arranged in a taper column form. The sleeve does not fit over the base of the brush at the location where the bristles meet the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,579, Dec. 9, 1980, Jonathan H. Salmon, discloses a tool for applying a liquid stain to a flat surface to impart a timber grain effect to the surface. The tool comprises a paint brush, a bristle retaining slidable plate on one side of the brush and a slidable comb plate on the other side of the brush. Both of the plates have an elongated slot which engages a bolt which passes through the paint brush. The comb adjustably separates the brush bristles into discrete bunches to permit the application of stain to impart a wood grain pattern to the surface. This tool does not disclose a holder which fits on both sides of the paint brush base where the bristles are secured to the base. The tool is not designed to prevent paint from migrating down the bristles in the direction of the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,837, Jul. 20, 1982, Christiaan Reeberg, discloses a sliding box-like girdle which fits over a paint brush to confine the bristles. The girdle acts as a hanger so that the paint brush can be hung on a wall. The girdle also protects the brush bristles while on display, or during storage. Further, the girdle is used to control the effective length of the bristle ends for specific painting jobs. The girdle also serves to squeeze excess paint from the bristles after each dip into a can of paint. The girdle does not serve to encircle the base of the paint brush, where the bristles meet the paint base, and thereby prevent paint from migrating along the bristles to the base, and thereby collecting at the base-bristle ended face.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,481, Mar. 14, 2000, Douglas et al., discloses a novel paint brush with inverted bristle clamping panel, a removable bristle pack and a panel hinge yield mechanism. The paint brush provides ready cleaning after use by disengaging the hinged inverted bristle clamping panel, removing the bristles and thereby exposing all of the bristles to the cleaning solution. The panel has a resilient release mechanism which yields slightly when undue force is applied to the inverted hinged panel against the bristles. A paint brush construction comprising: (a) a paint brush body and handle, the body having formed therein a cavity for receiving a group of bristles; (b) a pivotal bristle bearing member positioned proximate to the cavity, the bristle bearing member when pivoted to a closed position applying a holding force against bristles held within the cavity, and the member when pivoted to an open position enabling bristles held within the cavity to be removed; and (c) a resilient yield location associated with the paint brush body and the pivotal bristle bearing member which enables the pivotal bristle bearing member to yield when the bristle bearing member encounters an undue force when being pivoted to the closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,685 B1, Oct. 2, 2001, Douglas, discloses an internal ferrule which is used in a paint brush that has a removable bristle pack and one or more moveable bristle clamping panels which, when in a closed position, grip the bristle pack and prevent paint from migrating up the bristles to the base of the paint brush handle. The paint brush with the internal ferrule and the removable bristle pack is easy to use, and provides ready cleaning after use, by releasing the one or more panels and enabling the bristle pack to be removed and exposed to the cleaning solution. An internal ferrule for use with a paint brush handle and a removable bristle pack comprising: (a) a hollow girdle for encircling a first end of a bundle of parallel bristles, the girdle having interior and exterior faces; (b) a concave glue cavity formed in an interior face of the hollow girdle; and (c) a protrusion formed on an exterior face of the girdle for engaging with a corresponding cavity formed in the body of a paint brush handle.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.